Related Stories

The station saw its share of local listeners increase in certain demographics, in particular men between the ages of 25 and 54.

This, says Robert Seguin, program director/brand manager with KRUZ and The Wolf, is the station's key demographic.

Only selected numbers were released and reflect only local stations. Not included are what share of the market is made up among those who listen to radio stations from other areas such as CBC, satellite radio, or don't listen at all.

One thing Mr. Seguin believes has helped The Wolf improve its standing locally is refocusing the music to balance classic rock with newer songs and the station has changed its morning show.

KRUZ-FM, on the other hand, took some hits in the ratings.

In general, he says trends in what people are listening to change.

Dave Hughes, general sales manager with Pineridge Broadcasting, which includes Star, The Breeze, and Magic, offers his congratulations to The Wolf and applauds his own team for their success as well.

Still, he has issues with the survey in that it's only once a year and only for a few weeks, calling it just a flashbulb in a darkroom.

It's a subjective report that can be used in a number of ways, he says.

The 25 to 54 demographic, he notes, has about 50,000 people in, yet the survey only shows the views of 742 people.

With a sample size that small, he says it depends what each station is doing during ratings weeks and can cause some wabbles in where they stand.

This year, he says the stations with the biggest wabbles were those that appealed to older adults.

KRUZ, for example, he says, had no reason to fluctuate so much in the ratings.

Another part is how long people listen. Magic has listeners for 13.5 hours per week, which he says is great, there just aren't enough people listening.

The other two stations are based in Northumberland but have Peterborough appeal.

When you analyze the trends, he says it looks better for everyone.

The ratings are just one factor for him.

"It's business as usual," he says.

He figures only 30 to 40 per cent of the population knows about Magic, which he says means there's a lot of room for growth. Considering it has only been around for a little more than a year, he's happy with what he sees.

Another factor, he notes, is that certain stations appeal to certain demographics, like the loyalty of country listeners.

Steve Fawcett, general manager with Country 105 and Energy, is also happy with the results. Where The Wolf caters toward men, he says his stations have a strong female listenership.

He expected The Wolf to make some gains due to recent changes and says his stations received what was expected, though there are always some surprises.